Slotting apparatus



"` MarchY 14, 1944.

L. L, MILLER SLOTTING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 4, 1942 J 4 44 25/C'" 333 4/43 43 43.98 47 46 l ]\/4 /NvENroR L L .MILLER er R MW A r ron/ufrPatented Mar. 14, 1944 SLOTTING APPARATUS Lloyd, L. Miller, Cranford,N'. J'., assigner to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York,N. Y., a corporationV of New York Application September 4, 1942, Serial.No.k 457,367

(Cl. 14d-253)` 2 Claims.

This invention relates to slotting apparatus, and more particularly toapparatus for producing wire receiving slots in spool heads.

An object of the invention is to; provide a simple, efficient and highlypractical apparatus for cutting slots in articles.

With this and other objects in view, the invention comprises a slottingapparatusv having driven spindles for slotting elements driven ingivendirections and mounted to position the elements within open portions, ofa guidel through which the articles to be slotted may be advanced, meansbeing provided to eliminate vibrations of the articles during theslotting operation.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdetailed description when considered in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view ofthe apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the structure shown in Fig. 1,this section being taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional View taken substantially along theline 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of one of the articles afterthe slotting operation has been completed thereon.

Referring now to the drawing, attention is iirst directed to Figs. 1 and2, which illustrate a base I upon which a lateral support II is mountedthrough the aid of screws I2. Channel members I4 are mounted upon thesupport II. Upon the channel members I4, a plurality of supportingbrackets I5, I6 and I1 is rigidly mounted through any suitable means(not shown). The supporting brackets I and I6 have brackets I8 and I9respectively disposed thereon and adjustably secured thereto by theirrespective screws and 2I, the screws extending through elongateapertures 22 in the brackets. The brackets I8 and I9, throughcooperating clamps 24 and 25 respectively, support air operated motors26 and 21 respectively, which may be provided with air under pressurefrom any desired source (not shown) The motors 26 and 2'I have toolsupporting chucks 28 and 29 respectively for removably supporting theirspindles 30 and 3l. As shown in Fig. 3, the motors together with theirother .parts are mounted at spaced positions both laterally andvertically so that their spindles 3|] and 3| are parallel with eachother in a vertical plane. Pairs of slotting elements 32 and 33 aremounted upon the spindles 30 and 3I respectively, these elements beingremovably held on their spindles by the aid of nuts,` 34.` It will alsoybe apparent,r byv viewing Fig. 3'-, that the elements 32" and 33 are inparallel pairs.

Thev bracket I'I extends vertically adjacent the slotting; elements 32and:y 33 and has a cutaway portion 36 to receive the elements 32,. Atubular guide 38 is supported by the bracket I1 and has cutaway portions3.9,. and 40. for the elements 32 and 33 respectively.v The guide 38 isin alignment with a trough 4I of a table 42: through which articles suchas spools 43 havingheads 44,. may be. axially advanced relative to theslotting. elements. A spring or resilient member 46 has an end 41secured in place upon the tubular guide operation. The table 42 issupported by a pair of uprights 58 and may be of any desired length,with the trough 4I therein, for supporting, upon either or both sides ofthe trough, supplies of the articles which are to be fed in the troughthrough the guide to the slotting elements.

To condition the apparatus for operation, all that is necessary is tocause energization of the motors 26 and 2'I after the support has beenset up to perform the desired operations. By the term set up is meantthe mounting of the elements 32 and 33 upon their spindles with desiredspacers 5| to space the elements desired distances apart. Anotherfeature which may be considered in setting up the apparatus, is therelative positions of the slotting elements. In the present instance thepairs of slotting elements are aligned; in other instances it may bedesired to have the slotting elements out of alignment with each other.This may be accomplished by adjusting the brackets I5 and I6 relative toeach other and the bracket I'I by loosening the screws 20, theadjustment being made possible through the aid of the elongate apertures22.

Assuming now that the elements 32 and 33 are being drivencounterclockwise and clockwise, respectively, (Fig. 2) vthe articles 43may be placed in the trough 4I and moved axially therein, theircontinued advancement carrying them into the tubular guide 38 andeventually between the sets 38 between the cutaway portions 39 and 40, Y

This is apparent by viewing Fig. 3; thus the heads being slotted are notdependent upon the Y elements for their support but receive continuedsupport by the guide 38. The resilient member cles during the slottingoperation, which might occur if the articles should -be advanced toorapidly and if they were not supported during the slotting operation. y

As a result of the slotting operation, it will be observed that fourspaced slots are formed in the heads of the articles, these slots beingformed simultaneously, and during ytheir forming, the pressures Y of theslotting elements tend to counterbalance the force of each other, therebeing upward pressure bythe elements 32 counteracted by the downwardpressures of the elements 33. f After the slottingV operations have beencompleted on the articles during their advancement, the articlesmay dropinto any suitable receptacle (not shown).

Although specific improvements of the inven- 4s functions to eliminatevibration of the artii5' tion have been shown and described, it will beunderstood that they are but illustrative and that various modificationsmay be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of thisinvention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A slotting apparatus comprising opposed rotatable slottingelementsfor successively cutting aligned groups of slots lin heads ofspools parallel with the axes of the spools, a `tubular guide tosuccessively receive and support the spools during their advancement toand between the cutting Velements and having opposed cutaway portions toreceive the elements, and a resilient member extending through one ofthe cutaway portions in the tubular guide to engage the spool heads Vatthe elements to hold the spools against vibrat- LLOYD L.M1LLER.

